Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Search This Blog

Mandarin Orange Marmalade 橘子果酱

After the Chinese New Year, there'll be so many Mandarin oranges left and I'd be scratching my head thinking what to do with them. Normally I'd give them away but this time, I was a bit adventurous and tried my hands at making them into marmalade. Although it was a bit time consuming and standing in the kitchen in this heat, my efforts paid off when the marmalade turned out great and was well received by family members. Initially I was afraid that the marmalade wouldn't set as I've reduced the amount of sugar. Mandarin orange marmalade works well as a gift too and the taste is so much different from store bought ones. One thing for sure, it has less sugar!

Recipe for Mandarin Orange Marmalade ~橘子果酱(adapted from 'here' with modifications)

Ingredients

2 kg, about 16 Mandarin Oranges

700 gm sugar (reduced from 1.2 kg)

5.1/2 cups water (reduced from 6 cups)

Peels from 3 Mandarin Oranges (reduced from 8)

Juice from 1 large lemon

Method

Wash and scrub the Mandarin oranges. Peel the oranges carefully and cut the peels of 3 oranges into thin strips with a sharp knife.

Place the peels into a pot, put enough water to cover the peels and bring to a light simmer. Remove the peels, set aside. Discard the water. (This step is to remove some bitterness from the peels, but if you like your marmalade to be a bit bitter, then omit this).

Remove the piths or membranes from the oranges. Set aside.

Cut the oranges in half, crosswise, break out the segments and remove the seeds. Wrap the seeds and piths tightly in a clean muslin cloth.

Put the orange segments, lemon juice, sugar, water, peels and the bag of piths and seeds into a large pot. Stir over medium heat without boiling.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and let it bubble for about an hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally until gel point is reached.

Ladle the jam into the sterilised jars, leaving about 1/2 inch gap from the top and twist the lids while the jam is still hot.

Yield : Four to Five, 340 ml jars

Note : The seeds are full of pectin and pectin is needed for jam setting.

Jell point testing

Put a few saucers into the freezer to chill for a few hours. Turn off heat, then spoon a dollop of jam onto a cold saucer, leave to cool for a few mins. Then push your finger into the jam and if it wrinkles, it's done. If not, then boil the jam for another 10 mins. and check again. Click 'here' for more tips on how to test whether the jam is done.

Sterilising the jars

When the mixture is boiling, sterilise the jars. Wash the jars with washing liquid, rinse well.

Place the jars in a large pot, completely immerse the the jars in water.

Bring to a boil over low heat and boil for 15 mins.

Turn off heat, if the jam is not ready to fill the sterilised jars, leave them in the hot water for up to an hour. Longer than that, need to sterilise again.

Place the hot jars on a clean towel, upright.

Do not boil the lids, add into the hot water after turning off heat when jars have finished boiling.

Hi Cheah,How I wish I can have a small bottle of this lovely jam from you :) My youngest love Yuzu jam I believe he would love this too. Must try this when I have mandarin.Have a beautiful Sunday Cheah!mui

The scientific name for Peach resin is Prunus Persica which is resin secreted from the Peach tree and form like crystals which are stuck to the tree. Originated from China, the composition of peach resin is collagen, amino acids. The rich collagen helps to improve the complexion, nourishes and helps to prevent dryness of the skin. It also helps to improve bowel movement. In short, this is an inexpensive substitute to the highly expensive birds nest.

Peach Resin Snow Fungus Dessert ~ 桃胶雪耳糖水

Ingredients 50 gm Peach resin20 gm snow fungus30 gm dried longan30 gm seedless red dates2 lt water100 gm rock sugar(I used 150 gm organic cane sugar) or to taste6 Pandan leaves, knottedMethod Soak the peach resin in a lot of water for 12 hours or preferably overnight. The peach resin will expand to about 8 to 10 times after soaking. Remove the impurities and rinse the jelly like peach resin, let drain on a sieve, set aside.Soak the snow fungus for a few hours and remove the hard stem, snip i…

This is a super comforting home-cooked dish which requires only a few ingredients. An easy to go recipe, I added minced pork to give the dish more volume. Kids as well as adults will love the silken smooth egg interspersed with bits of juicy meat. Great to serve over hot rice!

Steamed egg with minced pork ~ 猪肉蒸水蛋Ingredients

150 gm minced pork2 chicken eggs - 100 ml without shell150 ml boiled, cooled water (Ratio is 1:1.5)1/4 tsp saltsesame oil, pepperlight soya sauce to tasteMethod Season the minced pork with some salt.Whisk the eggs with water, strain it onto a plate.Mix in the seasoned minced pork. Remove any air bubbles.When the water in the steamer is boiling, place the plate of eggs onto the steamer plate, close lid and turn the heat to the lowest.Steam for about 14 to 15 mins., check after 5 mins. Jiggle the plate, if centre is wobbly, it's done.Remove from steamer, garnish with some spring onions, light soya sauce, sesame oil and a dash of pepper.